


The Crooked Adventures of Corinne McKinnon

by PenTheWillows, Wherecoyote



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/F, F/M, M/M, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-12-29
Updated: 2016-01-12
Packaged: 2018-05-10 08:04:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 18,596
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5577676
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PenTheWillows/pseuds/PenTheWillows, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wherecoyote/pseuds/Wherecoyote
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They say when you close one door, another opens. But close both doors and fill the room with Marauders and you get Hogwarts. If I don’t make it out alive, tell my Mum I love her. And tell Yiddles that they’re not allowed to touch my sister.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Ownership of original characters is split between wherecoyote and commandercatbug on tumblr.

_September 1st_...do you know what that is? It's my birthday. It's also the day we (being my siblings and I) go back to Hogwarts, to school. So sometimes it can get a little hectic.

"INCOMING!" I cringed as the high-pitched voice of my manic little sister reached my ears, loud, and deafening, and just very _barely_ I managed to avoid getting a levitating cake to the face. I ducked down in the middle of the kitchen, narrowly missing the sharp corner of our table.

Like I said, hectic.

It's been this way since I started school a few years ago. Back when it was just my older sister, Marlene, getting ready to head off, things weren't too bad. _(Okay, so maybe there was just one year where it was like that…)_ But then the following year, my parents had to deal with her and me _and_ my twin brother, Auggie. At the same time, they had to lug around my little sister, Naomi, who was just a wee tot, so it was a bit of a struggle.

" _Naomi,_ " I let out a low growl, blowing an obstructing lock of blonde hair out of my face, bouncing up and reaching (out of habit) for the acacia wand shoved in my boot. _Not that I would ever hex my seven-year old sister...no...why would you think that? Heh…_

The look on her face was priceless as I rose from the worn-tiled floors, my nostrils flared, brows furrowed, hands clenched in fists at my side. Like, should I ever find a time-travelling spell, I will in fact be using it to travel back to to this moment and snap a picture.

"What're you gonna do?" her lip wobbled, her wheat-colored ponytail bobbing as she tilted her head. Her stubby arms crossed in front of her chest as if _I_ had was the one who flung food at _her._

Very slowly, I pulled the rigid piece of wood from my shoe, raising it just enough so that were my mother to walk in, or worse my father, it wouldn't seem too threatening. But it was also enough that Naomi would still be in right mind to fear me.

"Was that my _birthday_ cake? As in, the one we're supposed to eat before we leave?"

Naomi stood there for a second, rocking back and forth on her gremlin slippers, a look on her face so guilty that even Marigold Speckner (a famous blind wand-crafter) would've been able to identify it. But before I could utter the bat-bogey hex resting beautifully on my conscience, the little shit took off, practically a blur she ran so fast. _Bollocks_.

( _Note to self, sign her up for the Hogwarts Track team._ )

She smacked into Auggie on her way out of the kitchen. He let out an "Oof", which was ridiculous because she weighed maybe three-and-a-half stone. Rubbing his stomach, he looked at me with sleep still very much in his eyes.

"Cori, the hell was that?" he asked, grumbling towards the cockatrice egg fry-up Yiddles had left on the stove-top. They'd been here when I came in, but had quickly fled to the garden, I think. One never really knew with them, to be quite honest.

Yiddles had been around for as long as I'd been alive, and we still didn't know their gender. At first, I hadn't asked out of politeness, but now I was just too afraid of them coming unhinged and attacking me or something. ( _Marlene says that would never happen, that Yiddles is too loyal to us, but I'm not convinced. I think they have a screw loose…)_

"Cori, the hell was that?" I mocked his voice, thickening my accent, and doing what I believe to be a man-ish walk, too grumpy for pleasantries after having my own blasted birthday cake flung at my face. How had Naomi even accomplished that? _Not that I'm bitter…_ I tried to wipe that from my thoughts, instead focusing on the task at hand. _Get to the shower before Marlene._ As much as I loved my Ravenclaw sister, she wouldn't know how to save water if I wrote her a thirty-thousand-word novel on it.

Our house was two stories, but small, since the second floor was half taken up by the attic. It was shaped almost like a cottage, with the stairs sticking out practically _oddly._ My room was next to the kitchen. Meanwhile all the other rooms were set up by the sitting room all the way on the other side of the house. So basically, unless I suddenly discovered the ability to teleport, I was probably arse out on a hot shower for the morning.

But alas, I still tried. And failed. _Every. Single. Time._

You'd think that, on a day as auspicious as my birthday, I'd be granted some leniency. I'd even woken up at practically the crack of dawn, for Merlin's sake! And yet, what did I find when I reached the loo but the sound of running water and Marlene singing some terrible Muggle song? She'd been singing several of them on repeat the entire holiday, ever since she came back from staying with her friend Lily Evans at the beginning of the summer.

"Really, Mar? It's my bloody birthday!" I yelled through the door, and I was met with only laughter. "Bloody bint," I muttered darkly. Just then, as I was about to step away from the white door before me, stepping backwards even, the dark wood of the hall creaking under my weight _(not that I'm overweight)_ , the idea hit me.

 _Revenge is a dish best served cold, they say_. I had to hold in my cackles as I wrapped my hand around the doorknob silently, slinking in, agile and sneaky as a cat, snatching her clothes off the white counter and slipping back outside.

The next part was easy.

I waved my wand in the correct formation and whispered an incantation. "Accio Yiddles' robes."

Now, usually, you're not supposed to magic under the age of seventeen, but my father worked for the Ministry and our household was mostly overlooked when it came to underaged use of magic. Besides, The Ministry was too busy trying to catch Fergio Geko, a pureblooded wizard from Australia who was running around with over a dozen stole time-turners then to worry about my simple Year One spells. _Ahh, current events_.

After carefully placing one of Yiddles' old and worn robes, and I use the term 'robe' lightly, on the bathroom counter for dear old Marlene to find, I returned to the kitchen, where Mum was scrambling around, muttering hurriedly.

"How do you misplace an entire cake? For the love of Godric," she grumbled, throwing open some of the bottom cabinets, as if it would be in there. Meanwhile, Naomi at the table was shooting me a very pointed look that very clearly read 'I owe you my life, please don't tell on me'.

So I shot back a raised eyebrow, silently inquiring, 'What will I get for my troubles?'

Her wrinkled-nose response indicated that I would get a worthy reward for my lie, so I took it and ran with it, as the Muggles say. Or, I would've, if I hadn't felt a tail winding around my legs. I looked down and saw the scrunched-up face of my dear Rigby, Kneazle extraordinaire.

Rigby was the darkest, meanest, fluffiest Kneazle you would ever meet. Smart as a sphinx with teeth sharp as a dragon's, he was bitter about just about everything. But he was also a handy scapegoat in moments such as this, especially with the bit of butterbeer frosting on his muzzle.

"What are you doing, Mum?" I asked, causing her to let out a muffled shriek from the cabinet her head was in.

"Looking for your ruddy cake!"

"I think Rigby might've had something to do with it."

She pulled her head out and whirled around, jaw practically dropping as she eyed my cat's old-man face. She keyed in on the frosting just as Rigby licked his chops, and she grimaced.

"How in Merlin's beard…" she started, flabbergasted, as any mentally well person would be when met with the smug face of a cat the size of a dog who'd just raided the pantry.

"Kneazles are very smart, Mum. He probably opened the breadbox and dragged it out from there."

Mum, looking exactly like Marlene in the next second, placed her hand on her hip. The giant blonde bundle atop her head moved with the motion, and the wooden spoon in her hand looked much more threatening than a wand ever would. I learned at an early age just how ruddy with magic my parents were, no offense to them. Auggie, Marlene, and I were perfectly average and then some, so it didn't really matter, and if either of them _NEEDED_ to cast a spell, they could...but still...how they graduated from Hogwarts, I would never be able to decipher.

"He opened the nook? _Fine_ , that I can believe, but how would he have disposed of the evidence?" she countered, sounding like a real Sherlock Holmes. _Ha_ , how's that for muggle culture, Professor Winklebeard?! _(That's the Muggle Studies teacher. He has it out for me, FYI.)_

My eyes rolled practically of their own accord, already completely annoyed with how the morning was going considering it was my birthday. I pulled out a stool and plopped down, my hands shooting down and lifting the giant black ball of fluff that was my Kneazle onto my lap.

"What do I look like? The Kneazle whisperer?" I scoffed.

"Well, he is _your_ mangy beast." Ah joy, there was Marlene. I love her ( _she is my sister, after all)_ but I haven't gotten along with her in ages. She's irritatingly proper, even before she got her Prefect badge last year. She's practically insufferable nowadays, something that Auggie and Naomi and I can all agree on.

"Speaking of 'mangy', what're you doing in those rags?" Naomi inquired sweetly, swinging her legs and clipping my chair with her slippers. She seemed like an innocent little girl most of the time, but we all knew that she was a bit of a she-demon on the inside.

"I'm wondering the same thing, to be honest with you. Someone," here she gritted her pearly whites and shot eye-daggers at me, "took my clothes from the loo and replaced them with this."

Mum looked over her shoulder at her eldest, barely containing her snort as she turned back to whatever she was doing at the counter. "If I'm not mistaken, I think that's one of Yiddles' tea towels."

"I wonder how that got there? Yiddles isn't one for leaving their things everywhere," I chimed in, eyes wide, trying to project the innocence I'd cultivated when I was Naomi's age.

" _Hohoho_ , my ears were burning" the jolly, deep, disturbing voice of Yiddles met my ears as they came all-but trolloping inside the kitchen, a basket of laundry in hand, an exact replica of what Marlene was wearing on their back.

"Wow!" A fake gasp of awe came from the back hallway that led the basement, and I turned slightly in my chair to catch a glimpse of my twin sauntering in. He was dressed and ready to catch the Hogwarts Express, a look of faux adoration on his face. " _You guys are, like, totally twinning!_ "

I couldn't help the snort that slipped out at the hilarity of the situation. Poor, Marlene... _not_! Literally, if she just let me use the blimey bathroom once in awhile, I bet I would become the kindest person to her. Not that she'll ever find out. _Selfish bint hogging the hot water...gonna make a spell to give her an allergy to water when I get back to school_...My thoughts turned bitter and trailed off and I changed my focus to my fingers sliding through Rigby's soft fur.

To this date, I was the only one allowed to pet Rigby other than Auggie. Every time someone else did, he'd hiss and then pee everywhere. I thought it was hilarious when we first got him...until it became _my_ job to clean up the mess.

"But, _mummy_! That's what Yiddles is for!" I can remember my little eleven-year old self whining and glaring at the smug cat lying next to the suspicious yellow puddle on that fateful day.

But back to the matter at hand. Marlene was torn between stabbing me with her green eyes and doing the same to my twin. As much as we don't always get along, Auggie and I definitely have the same twisted sense of humor. We were the scourge of the family holiday parties, to be sure. We shared smirks across the room, and Marlene let out a frustrated but muffled shriek.

"I can't wait to get away from you two! The Express can't come soon enough!" she cried, stomping her foot, staying true to her own reputation as the family whinger. It might have been scary if not for her _ridiculous_ attire. We cracked up, only getting louder as our dad stumbled in, nose buried in The Daily Prophet.

"What's all this, then?" he asked, not looking up for so much as a second from his articles. He walked straight into Marlene, and that was the last straw for her, _apparently_. She screeched like a banshee, throwing up her hands and stomping out of the kitchen. Mum tried to fix me with a disapproving stare but it was ruined by her twitching nose, which happened every time she tried to stifle her amusement about anything. Naomi did the exact same thing. Luckily, I didn't get that habit.

"Lena's trying out a new style, Pops!" giggled said tyke from her seat in the corner.

There was something to be admired about the shit that Naomi pulled, ruining my birthday cake, and throwing in little comments as she did. It was a small effort with a big effect. One day, maybe I could bullshit the universe as constantly as she did. Though I'm unsure of whether or not I could get away with it. Things are different when you're 1.2 metres and _bloody_ adorable. I shot the puppy on her pastel pink dress a dark suspicious look.

In that instant, we got to see Marlene's face turn the same shade of red as Dad's dressing shirt. So there was that.

" _Ooh_ , breakfast and a show!" Auggie, since he didn't identify with the word 'boundaries', flopped down and pulled himself up in a criss-cross position on the kitchen table, swiping a flapjack from my plate and taking large bites.

We were all terrible siblings, looking back at it.

"Oh, Miss Marlene!" Yiddles' manly voice drew everyone's attention, including my father's, as they took in what my elder sister was wearing. And then...though I'm not sure, to this day I question my memory even, but...I'm pretty sure their cheeks flushed. As in, Yiddles (our basically-Russian, agender house elf) was blushing. "You look particularly stunning this evening!"

Woe is me.


	2. Chapter 1: The Bad Birthday Adventure

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Ownership of original characters is split between wherecoyote and commandercatbug on tumblr.

 

"Happy birthday, Auggie," Dad congratulated my twin from the doorway as said boy purchased a new pet, a present. The ugly thing was a _Serpensaqu_. A small, rare, and ultimately weird creature that was some sort of magical hybrid of an eagle and a snake. The odd flying-lizard-looking thing let out an excited hiss, causing sparks to fly, before leaping into the arms of my obviously-delusional twinling.

"I think I'll call him Pyre."

Immediately when the 'name' left Auggie's mouth, Marlene, Naomi, and I burst into low and unashamed giggles, snickering and laughing at the _terrible_ idea. Though looking back, had anyone other than him chosen to name their pet that, I doubted I would have thought the same thing. In other words, picking on my twin every chance I could was the goal.

Why did my brother want the ghastly thing? I would never know. About two hours after the whole 'Naomi destroyed my cake and I'm gonna lie for her' dilemma, my father came forward to ask what we wanted for our birthday. My carefully selected prize was wrapped around my left hand, my wand hand. It was a medium-length, fingerless glove that molded to the shape of my hand and transformed into the color of my skin, appearing invisible, but actually allowing me to set my wand in it and not worry about retrieving it from my boot in the middle of a battle or something.

"I want a _Serpensaqu_ ," he informed our father before digging into the cupcakes that our mother cooked up after realizing that whatever happened, the cake was gone, "and I've already set up a meeting with a breeder at Kings Cross on the way to Hogwarts, so we won't even have to go out of our way to get it."

With a pitch like that, had I been my father, I would probably have said yes too. Maybe Auggie was a Muggle salesman in a past life or something.

And alas here we were, standing on Platform Nine-and-Three-Quarters with our trunks as our father purchased a kneazle-sized monster of a thing. It looked very shady, in my opinion. Not that I'd be saying anything, it wasn't like I cared.

But Mum's eyes were filled with the ghosts of bad-purchases-past. "Oh Merlin, why did I ever have a boy?" she whispered to herself.

( _If only I took my Mother's contraceptive charm and turned Auggie into a girl before he was born_ , Olivia McKinnon thought to herself, standing there and watching the blonde hellion that was her child strut around with a slimy thing that had wings in a clearly illegal deal.)

"I don't think you had a choice, honestly," I replied, snickering at her face. I was really quite amused with the whole thing, especially since I despised the boys that Auggie lived with at school. Pieter Bouchard, Darek Fitzwold, Lucius Malfoy, and that other one whose name I could never remember because he was bloody quiet as all hell. I was never much of a fan of Slytherin boys, and they were prime examples of why.

Speaking of bunk-mates, a strand of strawberry-blonde hair that could only belong to my sweet friend Amelia Bones caught my attention. I whirled around, my hand shooting out of its own accord and grabbing onto her wrist.

"Son of a dragon's taint, Corinne!" she hissed, having jumped out of fear and only narrowly avoided falling by shoving her bottom on the trunk of the ever-bitchy Aoife Finnigan (an annoying Ravenclaw who thought her shit smelt like roses.)

"Watch it, tweaker!" the muggle-raised Irish witch called, shoving my mate forward into my grasp.

I always did hate her. Prissy bint, that one.

But to be fair, Amelia was a bit of a Gillhead. Or, for the Muggles out there, a pothead. In Hogwarts, we miscreants often referred to our marijuana as 'Gillyweed' since it wasn't just ordinary pot. Different magical flavors gave people boosts for short periods of time magic-wise, and bud with leaves that changed colors with the day. Thus the term 'Gillhead.'

"Eat me, you barmy doddle!"

Amelia's intricate British-wizard-slang often tripped up the first years. It was as if she had her own language. I'll translate. 'Barmy' means crazy, and 'doddle' means something is easy...so...she was calling Aoife a crazy whore.

Normally, Aoife would've replied with some of her ridiculous Muggle-isms that no one could ever understand. But she was distracted by Theodore Grant, who everyone knew Aoife was arse over kettle for. He was caught up in conversation with some scrawny firstie who probably didn't know the difference between monkshood and wolfsbane (spoiler: there is none), but that didn't matter to Aoife. She got fluttery-eyed and bashful and altogether ridiculous. It was probably the best thing to happen today, besides the Marlene-bathroom incident.

"Don't get your knickers in a twist," I whispered to the Irish twit, "He wouldn't give you the time of day."

Aoife was pretty enough, at least according to Auggie, but Theo was probably the most popular bloke in our year. And he too was arse over kettle for someone, but his love was one of the my dear brother's roomies. As in, his _male_ roomies. Auggie had caught the two shagging near the end of last term, and he wouldn't tell me who it was. I'm fairly certain it was Lucius, because no straight boy has hair like that. ( _And what a scandal that would be, let me tell you. Purebloods like the Malfoys don't believe in anything other than heterosexuality. I would just_ _ **love**_ _to see Lucius dethroned from his Pureblood Prince title._ )

But back to the point. Theo was still closeted in his love interests, and it was a secret I loved keeping. Especially since I could hold it over Aoife's head that I knew who her crush liked and she would never be able to bribe me to tell her who it was.

Much to Aoife's soon-to-be misfortune, I saw an opportunity in the situation.

With her eyes glassed over and her attention bulls-eyed onto Theo, surely she wasn't paying enough attention to her surroundings. And she _had_ shoved Amelia, which like, not cool. That's my bloody job.

I slunk forward, snickering low and swiping my leg out, agile enough to make Rigby proud. Said black cat was perched upon my trolly about a foot away from where I was currently stood.

Watching Aoife fall face-first into the cement of the train-station pavement in front of her crush was a monumentally hilarious moment for Amelia and I. We enjoyed the view of the Irish girl's fall, laughing at appropriate times as she tried to get up.

"You chav!" she hollered, reaching to grab her wand, raising it threateningly. And just as she opened her mouth to spew some hex or other, Rigby decided he'd had enough. He was a simple black blur of fluff and growls as he launched himself at Aoife's face, scratching her cheek and catching her hair in tangles with his claws.

"Good boy," Amelia hummed with delight, "Remind me to give Little R some treats when we get onboard the train."

I cringed.

"Little R?" I'd never heard such a terrible pet-name in my life, and in no way was I going to be forcing it on my loyal and clearly functioning Kneazle.

She grimaced sheepishly, her eyebrows raising and her fingers stretching, which was basically her way of cringing. Her own strange Amelia way. She seemed to do everything a little odd though, so I took it in strides. She was one of my best friends after all.

Just as I turned my head to smile at her, I was met with a white blur which looked quite a lot like Pyre's wing. It _was_ his wing, actually. I ducked down, only seconds from getting a total smackdown from the flying green slime-thing.

"Don't miss the express, ya' big dumb," Auggie whooped and hollered as he and his cronies ran onto the train, their green robes bouncing and making them look extremely young and childish in the instant. Small bursts of fire floated the air above them, leftovers from the cries of Pyre the fire-spitting illegal eagle-snake hybrid Auggie had been so giddy to purchase.

As it would seem, my parents had already left and Marlene had undoubtedly located her ragtag gang of misfits during the dull seconds that passed as we tortured and teased the bane of my existence - tall, Irish, and bitchy, Aoife.

"He's right, you know," Amelia piped in - not that I asked her to - barely bothering to try and conceal her attraction towards my twin.

I would burn with Morgan LeFay in the fiery depths of hell before I let that develop into something. I loved them both dearly but they are abso-bloody-lutely not compatible. Amelia was as sweet as pumpkin pasties - well, most of the time - whereas Auggie was more on the end of that Russian bloke Rasputin. ( _Okay, so I might be exaggerating a wee bit - a lot - but you get the gist._ )

I love Amelia like a sister, but I do _not_ want her to actually be my sister. Two of those are enough for me, thank you very much.

"Eyes off!" hissed a voice behind us as we headed toward a car. I didn't even need to glance to know it was my brother's on-again-off-again shag, Louise Devereux. She was the tartiest tart in the upper years ( _which is saying something)_ , and possessive as all hell. I've heard she Imperiused a girl that Auggie was interested in. I don't necessarily believe it, but I also wouldn't necessarily put it past her.

"Sod off, you minger. We don't have time for you," I snapped. Today was going so well, and then it went completely downhill in the span of a few minutes. I just wanted to get on the bleeding train, for Helga's sake!

Louise responded with a scoff but, nonetheless, left. ( _I could tell because her manky perfume left with her._ ) She usually didn't screw with me, most of the time complimenting me here and there in an attempt at getting closer to Auggie through me. It didn't work, of course.

"Come on, we keep dilly-dallying and we'll end up stuck here." Lucas Diggs, another friend of ours, practically swooped in. Well actually, he Apparated next to us, a little trick his dad was teaching him early and that he so desperately loved to show off. "Time to board."

As if to seal the idea of leaving, Rigby trotted into my line of sight, coming from who-knows-where after his brawl with Aoife's face. His little tongue was sticking out, face as dead inside as it usually appeared. A sudden gust of home-sickness and an urge to get to the Common Room hit me in the chest. And, before I knew it, I was running ahead of my two friends, straight towards our usual compartment.

If there was one thing cool about being a Hufflepuff, it was our _sick_ set-up. Not only is our common room the only one with a defense system against intruders, but since our Head of House is a Herbology professor, nobody questioned the thick scent of ' _gillyweed'_ which coated every inch of the yellow tapestry, furniture, and everything else. And though you might have thought otherwise due to my earlier remarks of my sister's nonsense Muggle-talk, I'm not one of those prejudiced Pureblood bints that roam the Slytherin house. I just hated when Marlene just _assumed_ I would and should understand her references.

The Muggleborns in my house were actually quite lovely, often bringing strange but delicious mundane treats from their magic-less world.

"Last one there's a rotten Hippogriff egg!" called Amelia as she cheated by riding her trunk-with-wheels that her Mum picked up from America down the corridor, shoving Michael McCormick into a random compartment, and nearly knicking me in the nose.

That just would _not_ do. I had a reputation to protect, as well as a pretty smashing nose, if I do say so myself. ( _And I do, as do some of the more fit boys in my year._ )

"Titillando!" I shouted the hex, flinging my acacia wood wand out and pointing it directly at Amelia.

Just like that, she knocked over, completely destroyed by her giggles in a matter of seconds as the tickling hex began to take effect. After having been friends with her for so many years, I knew that Amelia's greatest weakness was tickling. She was ticklish just about everywhere, and a cleverly-placed hex was more than enough to send her shrieking. ( _I never said I was the nicest person. There's more to us 'Puffs than meets the eye._ )

Amelia fell into a passing second year that I vaguely recognized as a near-hatstall from last year's Sorting. He stared at my dear Ames, utter confusion coloring his chubby little face, but was scared off by a well-timed hiss from Rigby. Firsties and seconds are so easily frightened. It's brilliant.

Not wanting Lucas to run ahead of me and win the race, as I was no second-place loser, I ignored the two and began running, my black Kneazle bobbing and weaving between my legs like a shadow, and I thanked the heavens for the winter where he chased my feet because of my fuzzy socks. If not for that ' _training'_ , there would have been no way for me to survive running with him screwing around like he was.

We rode in the same compartment every year, at the very back of the the train. You could easily identify it by the crack in the sliding door from when Amelia got dragged into that brawl with Aoife's younger sister, Niamh, smashing the Irish female's head straight into it. _Ahh, memories_.

And yet, this was the same Amelia that was also Hufflepuff prefect. System's shagged, eh?

Now that I look back, I don't suppose I should have been so rushed, with my bestie out of commission, and Lucas my only competition. The little pudge got out of breath walking to the Great Hall. Collapsing down on my seat and throwing my things on the shelf, I waited, a silence falling over the compartment since I was basically alone.

 _Huff, huff, huff._ I released ragged breaths, exhausted from my exercise.

Rigby's tail flicked back and forth.

* * *

Walking from the cold and dusty, albeit familiar, hallway into the Great Hall was insane, and I never got over it upon arrival in the castle.

Of course, there was the usual gaggle of new firsties all herded together just outside. They all childishly whispered and stared, pointing at us 'older kids'. And I didn't even try to smother the snorts and giggles that poured out of my chest when Auggie scared a couple of them with Pyre, but I did feel guilty once I made eye contact with Marlene and her Muggleborn friend Lily. They were very clearly judging my twin and I.

Why was it I had the feeling that Lily knew a lot more about me then I could have ever wanted?

As much as I loved my sister, I couldn't deny that she _did_ seem like the type to shit-talk our entire family to her girls without a single thought in mind as to how we felt. There was no hope, I decided then, in trying to become close with Lily. Not even a golden shovel could help me dig my way out of the pile of crap Marlene had probably fed her in order to gain the sympathy and attention we all so desperately crave.

Amelia bumped shoulders with me as we officially entered, the impossibly large doors slamming closed in a way that _should_ have drawn attention. Which of course it didn't, us students too used to the school and all its sounds and whatnot.

Over at the yellow Hufflepuff table, I was met with the gaze of my friends, and the attention-drawing, mouth-watering, heart-racing, _food_. Just kidding. We still had to wait for the bloody tadpoles in the hall. My stomach cramped up. Why was my mind so vivid and sarcastic? Who freed me?

I slumped down onto the first available parcel of bench, followed by my little posse. Amelia sat on one side of me and Lucas quickly decided upon sitting on the other side of the table, with our other mates spread out around us. We were a large but tightly knit group, consisting of Amelia, Lucas, Iliana Hardwicke, Henry Campbell and Georgiana Keeler-Stannick.

"Bonjour, bienvenue!" The thick, and admittedly sultry, French accent of Georgiana rang out of most of all. The thick and curvy dark-skinned girl pressed a comforting hand on my shoulder as I sat down. "How was your summer? Meet any cute _boys_? Any cute _girls_?" She wiggled her eyebrows saucily. "Oh, and how's Yiddles?"

I cringed at the mention of the immensely creepy house elf. And then, as if Marlene had some super-bat hearing that I missed out on in the gene pool, I could literally _feel_ her eyes moving from their previous position and dragging towards me, her similar features meshing together in what could only be described as a snarl.

I did what I do best and ignored her. She could have my attention when we were at home. But we were at school now and I was devoted to my friends. And I decided to display my devotion in this instance by responding to Georgie. "Of course I met cute boys and girls. This is _me_ we're talking about. But you also know I'm not one to kiss and tell... _much_." Amelia scoffed and Georgie giggled, while Lucas and Henry ignored us to talk about that Muggle sport, bigby or whatever it's called. They'd gone to a few matches in Henry's village over the hols and had become addicted. Silly blokes.

"Yiddles is the same. You know how creepy they are." I began to detail the morning's events for them, and the boys tuned back in at this point. They'd all met my ridiculous elf at some point or another since we'd mostly met in first year, and they were all sickeningly fascinated with the elf's exploits. I guess I got where they were coming from, especially since I'd probably be in their camp if Yiddles belonged to anyone else. But unfortunately, Yiddles was a McKinnon elf of tenure, so I was stuck with them.

_SNAP!_

"Were my ears burning, Missus?"

Never in my life had I feared a heart attack until that moment. I lunged forward as far as the table would allow in fear of the jump-scare, turning my gaze back slowly only to meet Yiddles' protruding green eyes.

"Yiddles, leave. Whatever it is, I can live without it. Just go before I vomit."

The _last_ thing I wanted to deal with was the clean-up of whatever disastrous conversations would occur between my friends and Yiddles should they decide to stick around. My one and only house elf let out a low scoff and raised their nose, moving to strut away obnoxiously.

"I'm not just here for _you_ , Madam."

Of course. Dumbledore and them were probably back to betting money on the Hippaslug Races again. Those two got along so well, it was _alarming._ And I'd complain, but really, if it weren't for them occasionally going out to see aforementioned headmaster, I'd have lost my mind during the summer.

"Why are you always so rude to your house elf?" asked the most self-righteous jerk in the history of the universe, also known as Erik Keeler-Stannick, Georgie's brother. He was a seventh-year 'Puff that had his head so far up his arsehole it was amazing he could see straight. He was an advocate of House Elf Rights, whatever that meant. He was a joke, even in the Hufflepuff common room.

"Because they're mine to be rude to," I snarled, completely over the plonkers I'd had to deal with today. "Now sod off. I don't have time for your yakking. The Sorting's starting."

I didn't give a tiny rat's arse about the Sorting since I didn't know anyone in it. But Erik didn't have to know that, did he? He scowled at me ( _a favored expression in relation to me today_ ) and scurried off to do whatever it was he did in his free time. Probably on his way to brainwash ickle firsties into joining his movement or something.

"Oh, happy birthday, Cori!" the slightly-nasal, and very excited, sound of Iliana's voice drew my gaze to her seat across the table, squeezed between Henry and Lucas. The petite five-foot girl was tied for second-best friend with Georgie, both equally as close to me. They looked insanely different from each other, though.

Georgie was larger than life, with her flawless ebony complexion, full painted-purple lips, and sparkly blue eyes; meanwhile, Iliana was more low-key. The tiny girl stared up at me from her seat, wrapping her hands around her waist as she leaned forward to speak to me, a bright and cheerful grin on her face. With her alabaster skin and sleek blonde hair, she looked almost like a bright, happier version of Naomi, to be honest.

"All our presents for you have been transported to your bed in the dorm, along with your trunk and Rigby!"

An excited squeal came from the strawberry-blonde at my side, and the ball of sunshine that I called my best friend began pawing at my arm, her mouth dropped practically to the table.

"I can't believe I forgot to say happy birthday to you!" she shrieked.

Simply shrugging, I dragged my eyes to the podium as students began filing in to face the Sorting Hat's judgement. Personally, I thought I belonged more in Slytherin, always had, considering my traits, but it didn't matter. I wouldn't trade being a Hufflepuff for the world. The common room was the biggest thing that made me feel so close to the house. Sometimes I even preferred it over my actual home. From the constant aroma of flowers and gillyweed to the fireplace that draped warmth over the area 24/7, it was _amazing._

Even the people sucked three-thousand percent less than most of the other castle inhabitants.

" _Pfft_." I blew a stray strand of hair out of my face. My thick blonde 'mane' was way too full and constantly bothered me. "Don't worry about it, my birthday sucks every year. It's not a big deal," I shrugged.

It was on one of the busiest days of the year for us magical teens. Plus, my parents had to worry all morning about sending us kids to the train, so I didn't ever get time with them. And it was also Auggie's birthday since, y'know, twins. That meant that half of the birthday attention I got was split in half and given to him too. Basically, I never expected much when September came 'round.

You probably think that I'm just complaining and need to look on the bright side and things, but don't mistake my bluntness for passive sadness. It wasn't. My birthdays sucked, it was just a fact, two words and an adjective.

"Yeah but the day after is the best ever," remarked Lucas he reached for his fork to point it at me accusingly, "We spend the whole day showering you in attention. You should really just start telling people your birthday is the day after."

He was also right. Very right. That was one of the things I liked best about him, that he did see the good side of things more than the average person. But he could also be a dick. Having both traits made him a really balanced person to be around.

"But anybody that actually matters already knows the actual date. Besides, I get to pretend the Entrance feast is being held in my honor."

"Yes, because the world _totally_ revolves around you," Henry drawled, his voice smooth and auditorily-appealing.

"I'm so glad you've come to your senses!" I teased, leaning over the table to ruffle Henry's lovely brown hair. Seriously, the boy is actually beautiful. It's really unfair.

"Budge up!" whispered a voice over Illiana's shoulder, and I sighed. I had forgotten about the last member of our little group. Adelaide Fisk, Henry's nauseatingly sweet Ravenclaw girlfriend. They'd been dating since last year, and she always seemed to sit with us, even though people from one house sitting at another house's table was generally frowned upon. It probably helped that her mum was on the staff, though.

Aubrey Fisk was the Astronomy Professor and one of the least-liked staff members in the school. Where Adelaide was practically sugar in human form, Aubrey was like the hottest chili pepper you could find. She was angry and strict, but melted like butter at a blink of her daughter's baby-blues. And that fact had saved our arses more times than I cared to admit. ( _My mates and I might like to cause a little mischief, but there's no harm in that, yeah?_ )

Adelaide was nice and all, but I was secretly hoping that she and Henry had broken up over the holiday. She was a bit of a nosey parker ( _she was a Ravenclaw, after all_ ) under all that innocence, and I always had to be careful of what I said around her lest it become a piece of school-wide gossip. Plus, I really just wanted a chance to catch up with my mates. But apparently that was too much to ask.

Even her use of the word 'budge' made me want to roll my eyes.

Expressing extreme self-control, I pressed a faux smile to my lips, raising my eyebrows and feigning happiness at her arrival. Henry lit up like someone had cast a Lumos charm on him, his cheeks blooming with a natural blush, a genuine smile making a rare appearance as his girlfriend basically crawled into his lap.

"So I was thinking, for your brother's birthday, maybe we could do something!"

I stared at her blankly, waiting for her to say something to me….and then _silence._

Everyone just sort of looked at her, as if expecting her to make the connection. And let me tell you, _that_ took forever. After sitting there and watching her play with Henry's hair for what felt like a millennium, she realized we were staring.

"What?" she opened her overly-lip-glossed lips in the shape of an 'o' that looked more like a duck's face than an expression of surprise.

_Merlin, she has to be taking the piss, right?_

"You do realize that means it's **my** birthday too, right?" My voice sounded gravelly and deep to my own ears in my plateau of confusion.

"What?" she repeated.

Training my gaze and toughening my exterior to steel, I moved my gaze to the napkin in my lap. I was attempting to not show how surprised and disturbed I was to see this new _stupider_ side of her. _Isn't she supposed to be a Ravenclaw? Poor Rowena._

"Auggie isn't just my brother...he's my _twin_ brother. As in, born on the same day, at the same time…" I trailed off, not knowing how clear I would have to make it. Obviously, she'd lost at least half her brain cells over the summer.

Adelaide blinked a couple times like some kind of Muggle bobot or what-have-you taking in the information I'd just given her. She eventually let out a harsh and high-pitched laugh in a last ditch effort to clear the awkward situation up. My mates just started joining in, most of us faking it entirely for Henry's sake. Said boy was belting out waves and waves of what seemed to be _honest_ laughter.

Did he find this funny?

_What the bloody hell?_

"Right, don't think I forgot! I've got your present on hold, it'll be here this coming letter day!"

Amelia's grip tightened on my arm, her eyes widening very slightly. She too saw the extra stupidity shining in Adelaide's eyes, then? Did she _really_ just pretend that she knew today was my birthday all along….even after we exposed that she didn't even know Auggie and I were twins? And that she knew my brother better than she knew me?

_Wait a bleeding minute._

Now, I love my brother, I truly do. But without a doubt, I could say that he was a giant manwhore. A stall in the second floor girls' lavatory let me in on that first day of my third year. Written using a wand-to-laser charm we get taught in first year were thousands of little explicit scribbles and paragraphs. It traumatized little thirteen-year old me to think that my brother was already doing some of the things it said, but I mostly dismissed it as rumors.

And Adelaide was very pretty...and kind of his type...now that I think of it.

In midst of my contemplation of sudden suspicions, I didn't even notice the clap of Dumbledore's hands allowing the plates to fill up with all kinds of delicious sweets and treats that had once appealed to me. Now, I wasn't so hungry. The idea of Auggie and Adelaide running around behind sweet, honest, and funny Henry's back made my chest hurt.

"Are you alright, dear? You look as if you've seen a ghost!"

The voice that spoke up didn't belong to any of the people sitting around us, so I looked up, searching the crowd for the owner. And there he stood ( _well, floated_ ), the literal ghoul, the Fat Friar himself.

"Oh, _so_ hilarious." I let out a harsh bark of laughter, having no control over my own rage at this point. I was even going so far as to be mean to our jolly house ghost. "Yeah, really great pun, I see what you did here!"

Picking up a fork and stabbing a slab of ham in front of me angrily, I turned my furious gaze to Adelaide, who was oblivious as ever. She had gotten distracted and gone back to playing with Henry's hair like some kind of slaggish cat. _I knew I was right to hate her._

"Adelaide!" I basically screeched, looking back at the Fat Friar, "Don't you think the Fat Friar is just _side-splitting!_ Don't you love when your friends laugh at your jokes? Good friends are so hard to find. Too many people in this school who throw themselves around and betray their trusted companions, know what I mean?"

Now it seemed to be my turn to be on the receiving end of the incredulous stares of my mates.

"You know what?" I stood up, not being able to bear another second sitting across from the girl who was more than probably screwing my brother and screwing over my mate, "Amelia and I have a thing we have to go do."

Normally, I didn't smoke as much 'gillyweed' as the rest of the people in my house, instead settling for special occasions, formals, parties, events, or really stressful moments….like...realizing your brother's a slag….and so is your friend's girlfriend….great...slags everywhere…

"We do?"

Amelia stood up, a look of innocent confusion on her face, and even though I really should have, and knew it at the time, I couldn't mold my face to look positive. I wasn't _that_ fake.

"Yeah, Professor Sprout took me aside earlier. She wants us to check on the greenhouse."

Surprisingly enough, even though I didn't smoke _that_ often, we had a code for 'go smoke weed.' It was ridiculous but Amelia and I were the only two people out of our squad that shared the bud with each other. Originally, I'd tried it for the first time third year with Henry and Iliana, but Iliana had a bad reaction to it because of her half-breed-fae-ness or something or other and never smoked again, and Henry didn't share his with us, so….yeah...not sharing with him.

Just like that, Amelia, as the general pothead I knew and love, all but flew out of her seat, practically dragging me out of The Great Hall. She loved it when I got high, because it made me extremely affectionate and confident. And I think she could tell that something was wrong by this point. She's just good like that.

We waved goodbye to our friends ( _well, Ames waved goodbye, I sort of just nodded at them_ ) and trooped out of the Great Hall before the end of the feast. We ignored the indignant squawks of the Head Girl, Roberta Llewellyn, and I may have accidentally slammed the huge doors behind us. ( _They're heavy, okay?_ )

I was hoping that we could walk in silence, but Amelia was having none of that. Her concern for my well-being was much appreciated, but not really wanted in this situation.

"What's up, duck?" Ames is sometimes a bit of an old lady. It comes with being partially raised by her grandmother, I think.

"Do you think Adelaide would step out on Henry?" I asked. Amelia just looked at me, confused as can be. I sighed heavily, trying to figure out how to explain myself.

"Do you think she's capable of it?"

My best mate blinked in consideration. "It doesn't seem like her, I don't think. She doesn't seem like she could even hurt a fly, y'know? But then again, Professor Winklebeard had our class read a sickology book or whatever it's called. It's actually pretty smart. It talks about this study that proves that humans are capable of great evil and great good."

Sometimes I _really_ forgot how smart Amelia was. Even if she did say 'psychology' wrong.

"So….?" I trailed off, uncertain of her exact point.

We came to a halt in front of the girls' lavatory closest to the Great Hall. "So, I think...that anyone is capable of anything." She bit her lip.

Moving in unison, we entered the loo, walking straight towards the largest back stall. While Ames dug around her knapsack for the wizard's bong she purchased with her Christmas money, I decided to speak up about my suspicion. Best to be blunt with it.

"I think Adelaide is shagging Auggie…." I rubbed my arm nervously avoiding her gaze, rushing to explain myself when she shot me a shocked look. "Look! I know it's crazy but Auggie is a bit of a slag and we don't _really_ know much about her. Come to think of it, she never talks about _her_ day when we hang out...And why else would she know Auggie's birthday before mine?"

For a second, there was just confusion in her eyes and I almost retracted my statement, but then she lit up with awareness. Like she knew something. "What? What is it?" I questioned, stepping closer to her.

"That _would_ make sense." Amelia cringed as if speaking the words physically hurt. "At the end of last year, I caught her coming from the Slytherin dormitories...when I asked her about it, she said she was just getting homework help from one of the boys."

You know, the last time Amelia and I heard someone say they were getting homework help from someone, it was when Hun Chang went tried to sneak his side-slag into the Gryffindor showers. They were caught and it was a month-long scandal that all the houses whispered and gossiped about.

Like all teenagers, we had slang for _everything._

"I didn't realize! I thought she just didn't know what that meant," Amelia rushed, "and _really was_ getting actual help with her studies! How in the blooming hell could I have figured out that she'd just finished sleeping with August!"

Annoyed and tired of the weight of the stress on my shoulders, I grabbed her knapsack from her, easily plucking out my instrument of choice.

The bong was _gorgeous._ Not only was it silent and smoke-free, but it also looked like a mosaic of colors that changed with your mood when you touched it. Violent and angry red shades waved around the glass structure, changing from its former ashamed pink which it'd plucked off of Amelia.

We were silent as she used her wand to summon the invisibag which she kept her 'supplies' in, packing the bowl with our favorite kind of weed, Purple Nightshade. The small buds were an unnatural lavender shade that shined in the right light.

"Incendio," I whispered, shooting a very miniscule blast of fire while she held her mouth to the piece, inhaling for almost an entire two minutes. That was a lot considering every second was spent inhaling. If I tried to take my breaths in such heavy spans, I would end up in a coughing fit, since I didn't smoke as _often_ as her.

Her eyes magically lit up purple, one of the magical effects of her bong. It made your eyes twinkle the color of whatever it was you packed the bowl with, be it green, like normal strains of weed, or yellow like the Hungarian Bananza strain.

When it was my turn, she took my wand, since hers was in her bag and mine was already out, lighting the bowl up for me. It really said something about our friendship that Amelia could use my wand without an issue. Most wands only cooperated with their chosen owners.

I inhaled.

My eyes watered and a very slight warmth filled my mouth quickly until my throat began to burn. I opened my mouth, taking in a fresh breath of air to push the Nightshade farther back in my throat, and then I exhaled.

This went on, back and forth, a silence filling the loo as we grew more relaxed. Until eventually, while I was taking a hit, the ashes burnt up, disappearing out of existence.

We finally finished and ready to go back to the Great Hall, munch our way through the feast, ignore the Adelaide problem, and for the love of bloody Merlin, _relax_. So we moved to the sinks outside the stall, bong in hand.

For those of you who don't smoke, when using a bong, you want to make sure you keep it clean and you also have to change the bong water. So since I was the one smoking on her sickle, I was the one to do the cleaning, my own OCD kicking in.

I did this in a process, every single time we finished smoking together. First, I dipped it under the water, general warmth spreading through my fingertips. But in order to do that, I had to twist the cold water handle, then the hot water handle, and then the cold water handle again. It didn't matter how much or why, but I couldn't help it, I had to.

Then, once I'd run the water over the bong, I pressed my fingertips into the edges of the bowl and scraped the guck out. It always got under my nails and I would have to really clean them out, but I did it anyway.

After that I replaced the bong water, poured it out, and then repeated those two steps exactly three times. Amelia didn't tap her feet impatiently, or hum, or complain at all _ever_ when I went through my compulsive motions during the day. It's one of the many things I love about her.

By the time the cleaning was all said and down with, the high had in fact kicked in. Only just barely, but still, it was a lot faster then Muggle weed, especially since we were using a wizard's bong. I'd found out just how unbearably slow the Muggles do it in an unfortunate event that I mixed up the bag my friend had ordered with one of my own.

So, as we walked out the loo door, I don't notice my altered walk, which had become more of a strut. And I certainly didn't notice the inappropriate grin growing on Amelia's face, or the warmth filling my head.

And I _especially_ didn't even notice the boy I walked into once we made it to the hall. _Bollocks_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We are so excited to be sharing this fic with you! We will be posting a new chapter every Tuesday, so stay tuned!


	3. The After Party Adventure

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Ownership of original characters is split between wherecoyote and commandercatbug on tumblr.

 

_Holy mother of sex god._

I was wrong. I didn't bump into a boy, I bumped into a _man._ The warmth in my chest bloomed and bounced around as a smirk that I could never have pulled off sober blossomed on my face. With black curly locks that framed his face and messily ended at his ears, a face pure of flaw, and specks of fuzz from not having shaved, he made me want to weep.

"I'd say I'm sorry, but I'm afraid I'm not." I looked him up and down, sultry as a newer, flirtier me arose with the appearance of an attractive male.

Immediately, his eyes lit up, a grin curving on his face. The simple observation drew my eyes to his lips. I didn't bother hiding that I was very intensely and vividly imagining us making out in the corner.

"Well, hello!" A cheerful voice interrupted my visual consumption of the Adonis before us. I turned and realized that Mr. Tall, Handsome, and Delicious had a companion with him: James Potter. I only knew the boy because he was my set table partner in the mixed class I had with Slughorn last year.

"If it isn't Corinne McKinnon," James drawled. I was surprised he knew my name, so I said something. What with the whole being-high-no-boundaries-thing…

"Why, I'm flabbergasted. Did the great Quidditch King himself remember his name?"

I know what you're thinking. I think about it every time I get high, as I have ever since the first time I smoked with Amelia and she informed me of it. Confident, flirty, a little blunt, cruel sense of humor? I basically turned into Auggie when I was high.

Thankfully, James didn't seem to take offense, instead releasing a warm chuckle that I recognized Lily gabbing about in the corridor like a ninny. Apparently it made her knees weak. I would make fun of how corny that was. But then again, here is the sexiest wizard in all of Hogwarts standing before me and making me want to do things that would bring shame upon my family name, for the love of Helga.

"Man, Amelia," I let out a low whistle, turning to my friend and grinning like the cheeky bint I was, "They don't make them in this flavor in our house, do they?" I gestured to Adonis - _sorry_ \- the Gryffindor before me. "If they did, I think everyone would want to be a 'Puff. I wonder if it's too late to get Sorted into Gryffindor."

I looked down at his lips blatantly, overcome with the urge to feel them pressed at my neck. They were wonderfully full, just as beautiful as the rest of him. I bet he even had a lovely arse. Boys like him always do. Except...I had never seen anyone quite like him. Trust me, I'd remember if I had.

His hickies would look lovely, dotting my flesh errantly, probably only one on my neck, hoping people would see and ask me about it. He seemed like the type to do that. I could practically step into the image, but alas, I didn't know if there was even a spell for _that_.

It was in the _exact_ second after I thought that, that the overwhelming memory of food returned to me. Not forty feet away was an entire birthday feast for me. Okay, maybe not for my birthday, but let me have my delusions.

Oh Merlin, wait.

Fried chicken.

One of my favorite foods would be out there, waiting, crying for its fried mother to rescue it, and who would be there to swoop in and mercy kill-eat it? No one except me, I'll tell you. With not a second to spare, I stepped into a strut, playfully sliding my hand along his arm as I went. Amelia followed me naturally, and I caught the look on her face.

Well that explains why she hadn't spoken for like...the entire conversation between us and the two boys. Her eyes were glazed and drifting up towards the ceiling on and off, and she was blinking incessantly. Almost like a zombie. Yeah, she was on an entirely different kind of ride then I was.

Whatever. My ride had a special appearance of a literal god in robes lined with red.

As Ames and I left, I heard the sound of skin hitting cloth behind me. A gravelly voice spoke, and I fell a bit in love with the sound. But there was also fried chicken ahead. Boys could wait.

"James, would you care to inform me as to why you never mentioned that you know a lovely bird who is exactly my type?"

* * *

The feast was delicious, but I wasn't really surprised. If there was one thing Hogwarts was good at, it was plying us with tasty goodies. It was small miracles like the food that made life worth living.

Thankfully, Adelaide has disappeared by the time we had returned. Apparently Roberta had spotted her and scolded her. Another small miracle that I was ever so thankful for.

We made our way to our Common Room once we were stuffed, and the subject of my birthday came up again. Georgie was insistent that we throw a party in my honor. I liked the idea, but I wasn't so fond of her belief that it should be tonight.

"Well, it's already a day late. We _have_ to do it tonight!" Georgie protested, swinging her arms wide for some reason and nearly knocking into Lucas. The poor boy didn't seem to mind.

"It's nice of you to think of me, but how are you going to put something together in the next two hours? That's a lot, even for you." I was touched, really. But the plan just didn't seem feasible.

"Just wait. It'll be the best party this school has seen in years." Georgie winked at us before she linked arms with Iliana and I. I hooked my arm with Amelia on my other side and ended up smiling widely. Georgie's enthusiasm was infectious, as per usual. Maybe this wouldn't be such a terrible birthday.

* * *

Eyebrows were being plucked, music was being played, and bras were _everywhere_. I'm sure you already know what's happening.

Georgie, Iliana, Amelia, and I had gathered to sit in front of the fire on the carpet of the common room. Our hand mirrors, muggle lipsticks, and eyeliners were spread out everywhere. Georgie's aunt's French makeup spell-book sat smack-dab in the center of the little circle we'd made.

"So...any new blokes in your lives, my lovely mates?" wondered Iliana, the short girl splayed out on the floor while Georgie put together a flower crown for her.

The giggle that slipped past my lips almost manically was their answer. All eyes turned to me and I swallowed harder, my buzz wavering under the attention.

"Spill." The dark-skinned, distant-veela-relative friend of mine gracefully'flopped down behind me and began brushing my hair since she'd finished the flower crown for Iliana. "I want to know everything."

"Dunno his name," I supplied, grabbing my wand and using the tip to turn the pages of the beauty book. My eyes ran up and down as I searched for a good nail spell. "Hair like a god, eyes that make your panties soak, stubble that's my pure reason for living. A Veela, I reckon."

The circle went quiet, and I looked up. Iliana and Georgie were exchanging worried glances, and I became concerned. "What are you two doing?"

"Did he have black hair? A Gryffindor?" Georgie asked slowly. It was obvious that she was concerned, as made apparent by her heavy swallow.

"Yeah... _Why_?"

"We know the fit bloke's name," Iliana answered. I lunged toward her. I'd been thinking about him since I got the fried chicken craving out of my system.

" _Tell me!_ " Maybe I was being a bit dramatic, but I couldn't help it. He was easily the most attractive person I'd seen in the entirety of my existence. I was not going to let him get away.

"It's Sirius Black." The name came from Ames, who was apparently recovering some of her faculties.

I deflated almost instantly. I knew that name. Sirius Black was one of the most infamous boys at Hogwarts. He was like Auggie, but with at least twice the amount of girls pulled. I'd been hearing his name for a long time now, but I'd never actually met the bloke. Until now, apparently.

"Ames, why didn't you tell me sooner?" I protested, returning to the book in front of me. I wasn't going to cry ( _at least, I didn't think I was_ ), but I had to take precautions just in case.

"I only just put it together. But what does it matter? He seemed interested, if I remember correctly."

"He's interested in anything with tits!" Apparently I was more upset about this than I knew. "I happen to have some, if you hadn't noticed."

"Well, you don't know that for certain…" Amelia started, but I cut her off.

"That's what the rumor mill says, and I feel inclined to believe it right now."

"I think he's friendly with your sister," Georgie threw in, starting to braid my hair now that she'd finished brushing it. I groaned. _Because that's going to make it better._

"You know how my sister is. How could any bloke worth the effort be friends with her?"

"Enough of this!" Georgie exclaimed decisively, "It's your birthday and we're getting ready for a fabulous party! We need to be the fittest birds there! Less bloke talk, more heel walk, yeah?"

If there was anything Georgie was known for in our group, besides her love of parties, it was her love of inspirational speeches. We cracked up and continued with our preparations.

"Wait. If the party is in the Forbidden Forest...shouldn't we be wearing like... _flats_?"

* * *

I was extremely impressed with my mates' ability to throw a bash together in such a short amount of time. Most of our year was there, along with sixths and sevenths, and even a bushel of fourths.

Georgie never did acknowledge my questioning of our shoes, so I stood around, trying to resist the urge to rock back forth to the music. Normally I would've had no issues showing off my _incredible_ dance moves. But I knew for a fact that the chances of my heel plunging through the muddy dirt beneath us decreased significantly when I was standing still.

So like a statue, I stood next to a particularly large tree, a single cup of Henry's finest stashed bottle of Salazar Vodka in my grasp. He often knicked alcohol from his loaded Pureblood parents. It was advantageous for all of us, especially for the Muggleborns who had no idea what the wide world of wizard liquor had in store for them.

I glanced around the party, having been abandoned by my friends who were off dancing to their hearts' content, and caught the eye of Edgar Bones. He was Amelia's dishy sixth year brother, a Chaser on the Hufflepuff Quidditch team, and I had a bit of a thing for him.

Eye contact for a long period of time is a sure sign that a girl likes you. So, with that in mind, I stared at him, batting my eyes and crossing my arms, only to cringe as the tip of my left heel sunk a tiny bit in the dirt. _Great._ Georgie was a genius in potions, a beauty guru, and really helpful when I'm doing work and need an idea or something. But making me come to my own party in the Forbidden Forest in a pair of heels? _This was such a stupid plan._

Especially since Edgar's eyes darted down for half a second. Down to my shoes, which had sunk just a tiny bit. Which he'd obviously seen. Not two minutes later, someone _had_ gotten the chance to ask Edgar to dance. Someone with blonde hair and green eyes.

My _sister_.

Blowing an extra-curly strand of hair out of my face, I brought my cup to my lips and swallowed, the familiar bitter burn of the alcohol slithering down my throat. All the hairspray and de-poofing spells had my hair a touch crazier. Ironic, since that's the opposite of the products' purposes.

"Hey, do you wanna dance?"

Hope sparked in my chest. Finally someone has enough to sense to ask me, a beautiful teen witch at her peak, to dance. I mean, it was _my_ party, I deserved at least one dance.

All of that excitement blew out like a candle in the wind as I met the eyes of Herbert Vane. He was a small, round, pimpled boy with spiked black hair and a missing front tooth. Literally _why_? **Why**? _**Why**_?! This was _not_ my Prince Charming.

"Um...no...bye.." I sounded meaner than I intended as I literally turned my back on him and walked ( _read:_ _wobbled_ ) over to the food table. Iliana, who for some reason knew a wizard food vendor, had amazingly gotten a Mexican _feast_ for the party. We had nachos and burritos and taquitos, and just generally a ton of snacks. It was great.

I shoved an entire soft taco in my mouth in one go, like the animal I was, purely out of grief. Georgie somehow managed to put together an entire party in two hours for me, with food, booze, and all of mine _and_ Auggie's friends. But there was one thing that they couldn't produce, and that was the same perfect sexy man I'd met earlier.

At least he _was_ perfect.

Judging people wasn't something I liked doing, I was just good at it. And Sirius Black was essentially the school slag. Like if you'd heard even _half_ of the stories I'd had. Sitting in Potions of my first term of third year, Debby Beetwiser told me about how he'd apparently 'made her a woman.' Yikes.

Ten more minutes passed, and I grew more brooding and bitter at the idea of a god, clearly sent down for me, being shagged around like a bloody nymphomaniac. Auggie's blonde golden-child arse was out on the dance floor literally getting down with about four girls. Was I jealous? No. Am I a liar? Yes.

"I'm telling you, James, I don't care what you say. There is no way in ruddy hell that _you_ blocked _that many_ Quaffles earlier without cheating. What did you do, beat Snivellus into concocting you a liquid luck potion?"

_Oh, for the love of Helga._

Looking up from my now almost-empty cup and scanning the crowd, I cringed when I caught sight of the duo from earlier. They were sauntering their sexy way forward. As in, towards me. _Shit, shit shit..._ I scrambled to look busy.

I found Ames in the crowd and tripped my way to her. "Ames! Hey! How are you?"

She was bemused as she turned to face me. "Cori, sweetie, I just saw you not ten minutes ago. I'm fine. What could have possibly occurred within that amount of time?"

"I just saw Sirius and I don't want to talk to him." I leaned in to whisper to her and nearly fell on her. This is the most smashed I have ever acted while sober. I am a disgrace to partiers everywhere, apparently.

Ames didn't get the chance to reply with something swotty, because the song suddenly changed. Erik ( _yes, Georgie's awful brother_ ) was in charge of the music, and he had apparently decided to put on the Leprechaun Shimmy. It was a classic wizard party song, in which the witches and wizards participating switched partners every time there was a break in the song.

Amelia and I started dancing, because why the bloody hell not? She was actually pretty good, which compensated for my rather tragic two left feet. She danced the wizard's part so that I didn't have to, especially for part of the song in which the male lifts the female up, as Amelia lifted and was actually quite athletic.

At the first break in the song, Amelia spun me outwards. I crashed straight into a bloke who had apparently whip-quick instincts, as his _strong_ hands wrapped around my waist, catching me and turning it into a slight dip. I was met with the dazzling smile of the single person at the party who made want to run for the hills and hope a pack of centaurs showed up and killed me.

"We meet again."

They say human instinct is flight or fight, and right at that instant, I wished I was a bird animagus. My cheeks instantly lit up red with embarrassment as I remembered all the flirting I'd done with him before, which I _never in a million years_ would have done if Amelia had told me his name!

_Death, if you're out there, I'm ready._

"Um...yes, I suppose we do." Wow, I was clearly inept at this when I was in my right mind. I should've taken Ames up on her offer to smoke before the party. Then again, I didn't think Sirius would be here. But that's just Sod's law, isn't it?

Suddenly, I missed the cup of vodka that I'd once so deliciously sipped. Surely that would have been a great substitute. Merlin, me being with Sirius was such a bad idea in just about every way ever. Like, every way in the history of the universe. Not only would he probably destroy me emotionally as the player-nature dictates, but the amount of stress from just seeing him was driving me to alcohol and drugs.

_Haha...I'm joking. Sort of._

Without even realizing it, I'd been going through the motions of dance with Sirius for about a minute or so, and suddenly climbing out from behind the brooding thoughts I'd just concocted out of anxiety made me stumble. Literally. That...and I was like…tipsy. Or drunk. I can't really tell the difference. I'm trash either way, usually.

Falling and stepping all over my dance partner would have been much better than what actually happened. Instead, my left foot lifted and I fell forward, Sirius' hands sliding around my waist as if it was second nature to him. And then, our lips met.

_Oh my Merlin._

Time literally froze. My eyes clenched shut and my hands wrapped around the sides of his Muggle-style shirt which he'd chosen for the party. ( _I actually kind of liked it, which was saying something since I normally disliked Muggle clothing._ ) I leaned into the snog. There was no way I couldn't. The thought simply didn't occur. Because he was here, and he smelt so nice, and my chest was so warm, and _holy Helga_ did his hands feel nice wrapped around me.

My tongue slid into his mouth, a mind of its own, sliding against his, only to freeze as he sucked on it and goosebumps ran down the back of my neck and along my arms. The snog grew more...explicit as seconds ticked by. It was like we didn't even need oxygen anymore. I could have literally died in his arms at that second, the butterflies growing in my stomach giving me an insane high, and then my toes curled when he bit my lip with just the right amount of pressure.

Yes, this boy would destroy me. No boy snogs that good, looks that perfect, and doesn't break your heart. It's in the laws of nature. Ask any teenage girl.

The black of my closed eyelids suddenly turned into screaming colors. _Not this bloody business again._

Very rarely, I have visions of the future. It was never big things like life-saving or anything, and it was so uncommon that it was basically useless in most situations. You couldn't even call me a Seer, really. It really only happened when I was unusually calm. ( _So generally when I had just finished smoking._ ) I guess this was one of those times.

* * *

At the comfortable age of fifteen, I'd been angry thousands of times. But the fury that was bubbling around and boiling my blood inside of me was foreign. Never before had I been _this_ fucking angry. I was walking towards Adelaide so fast, almost running, and she was staring at me blankly. I couldn't make out my immediate surroundings, my focus locked on the girl before me. And then, in a matter of seconds, I stopped in front of her.

She started saying something, but as per usual, there was an immediate lack of audio in my visions which made them all the more useless.

And then, I decked the bint.

The first punch was thrown - my left hand to her side. And in the next second, she leaned to cradle where I'd hit, and so I took the opening, using my other hand to punch her straight in her _stupid peppy fucking face._

And I revelled in it. This vision-me was blood-thirsty. I wish I could catch a glimpse of some other people's faces. All I knew was that a crowd had gathered to watch, but the range of my eyesight in my vision was very strange and over-layered in some places, and I couldn't make out any familiar features.

We moved kind of awkwardly as Adelaide wrapped both of her arms around my chest, using all her strength to try and push me far away. It didn't work. I wrapped my forearm around her neck, using all my strength and then some to push her to the floor in a manner similar to when I wrestled with Auggie for the last piece of bacon. Except with the whole added goal of maiming or killing.

Once I had shoved her face into the….was it cobblestone flooring? Huh, maybe we were in the dungeons? Anyway, I got her down, and then I replaced my other hand which was on her lower back, forcing her to stay with my one foot, standing up and using my other to slam into her face repeatedly.

_Crunch_.

I think I'd broken her nose.

* * *

The vision went blurred out, melting away and leaving me with an empty feeling. So I thought it was over with. That'd make sense, right?

I was wrong.

* * *

I was in Headmaster Dumbledore's office. He was frowning at my parents, who were seething in their seats. I was sitting next to them, I guess. They turned to face me, my mother angrily gesturing as she spoke. I felt my mouth open and my arms cross over my chest. But I have no idea what I was saying. Probably something swotty, as per usual.

* * *

The vision collapsed again, this time returning to the blacks of closed eyes. The music of the party swept over me, hitting my ears like a stinging hex. I leapt away from Sirius, just in time because the music broke again. I turned to find my next partner, and it turned out to be my prick of a brother. Because that was just what I needed to top off this _fabulous_ night.

As I began to recover from the vision, I realized that Auggie was scowling at me. _What does he think I did now?_ I was not in the mood for one of my brother's fits.

"What the bloody hell are you doing with Sirius Black?" he growled, spinning me like the dance demanded. At this point, I really should have been dizzy. Doing the Leprechaun Shimmy was one thing, doing it drunk was another, and doing it while drunk after having a series of strange visions was a different realm of terrible.

"What the bloody hell are you doing with Adelaide?" I shot back, purposefully stepping on his foot.

He hissed in pain. "I asked you first," he spat through gritted teeth. Good. He deserved it.

"Let me get this straight. I dance with _one_ guy and I'm in trouble, but you can touch up a handful of girls and you don't expect me to say anything? You're such a pig."

"You should know that Sirius has a reputation…" Auggie began. But I wasn't going to let him finish. I had a lot to say.

"You're just jealous that Hogwarts has a bigger slag than you residing in its walls."

"So you _do_ know his reputation. Then why were you snogging him?"

"That's none of your bloody business!" I was so over this whole day. Screw my birthday, I just wanted to go to bed. Too much drama for the first day of the new term. "You know what? I'm leaving. Have fun with your hypocrisy, arsehole."

I just barely caught sight of Sirius' dazed face and Amelia's worried one as I stomped away. Or, at least, I tried to stomp away. I only got about a meter away before I completely sunk into the earth. Frustrated, annoyed, drunk, and dealing with a new migraine, I was so pissed. I turned around with a glare hot enough to light whole cities on fire, ripped the black pumps off my feet, and then threw them at my twin.

Then I left.

* * *

Finally, I was in my element.

After retiring to the girls' dorm, I changed into my pajamas. Climbing into bed, I closed my curtains and used a curtain-locking charm I came up with first year to keep my concerned friends from invading. And Hogwart's drapes were soundproofed, so for all I know, they didn't even try to contact me. But I doubted that.

It was around one in the morning and the room had grown pitch black, so I'd taken to holding my wand in my mouth and focusing the Lumos charm on my grimoire. The grimoire contained all of my original spellcraft, a hobby I dabbled in. Focusing on that seemed more fun than focusing on snogging, or trying to work out that stupid vision, or thinking about the fight with Auggie…yeah. I'd rather blow my brains out like that deranged Muggle Lucas told me about last year.

I'd decided to start a new spell to distract me from my crumpling and hungover mental state. It was complicated, especially since I hadn't quite reached the point of Arithmancy where I'd learned the equations I'd need. So it was hard for me to much done on it. I scribbled down what I could, mostly Latin roots and simple parameters for the spell's effects. I would learn the necessary equations either later this year or next year, unless I did some outside research this term. For anything else, I would say that spending more time in the library than was necessary for classes was crazy. But I really did enjoy spellcraft.

I spent about an hour working on the spell before I decided to turn in for the night. I hadn't gotten as much done as I'd like, but I was still happy with my work. Around three to four pages of parchment were taken up by my chicken-scratch scrawls. I was impressed with myself, because spellcraft is not the least bit easy. And the calculations had helped me settle my mind in a way that few other things could.

I decided to re-examine all of my problems tomorrow. Tonight, I deserved some sleep. Especially since the term officially began, meaning classes. I wouldn't be as well-rested as previous years, but I'd be aces compared to my friends and the other party-goers. _There I go, thinking about that bloody bash again._ I grumbled to myself and rolled over, fluffing up my pillow before I flopped down. This was going to be a long term.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed! Next chapter will be up next week! Please leave a comment, as we'd really appreciate it.


	4. Chapter 3: The Feelings Adventure

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Ownership of original characters is split between wherecoyote and commandercatbug on tumblr.

When I woke up the next morning, I really didn't want to talk to anyone at all. I knew people would judge me for going to the library so early in the term, but I didn't care. I got ready and made my way there, calling Yiddles as I walked and asking them to bring me breakfast from the kitchens. The food was waiting when I arrived, and luckily Madam Pince wasn't. I Accio'd some of the books I knew the library had about spellcraft so I could get straight to work.

My favorite book, _Spellman's Simple Spellcraft Syllabary_ , was the first I opened as I chewed on a cinnamon breakfast roll. I wanted to create a clogging spell I could use in pranks, which I already knew would be a charm. So I had the intent down.

Next, I had to come up with the wand movement. I was thinking a counterclockwise spiral pattern, but I didn't know if that would work in terms of mechanics. That's where _Spellman's_ came in.

I began to flick through the pages, looking for one I'd earmarked last year. ( _I was the only one that ever used this book, so I wasn't too concerned about offending anyone by folding a page corner._ ) I found the movement chart I was looking for, and I started scanning the pages, looking for the notes on counterclockwise and spiral movements.

I had just found the counterclockwise information when there was a _thunk_ on the table. I looked up, and found Auggie sitting down next to me with his own tray of breakfast food.

"'Ello, twin." He greeted me, his accent purposefully thick as he took a large chunk out of an apple with his teeth, chewing noisily.

I'd been hoping that hitting him in the face with my heels had sent the clear message of 'I hate you, never speak to me again.' But as I've mentioned before, trying to get Auggie to understand the meaning of the word 'boundaries' was like trying to get Herbert Vane to understand the importance of a deodorizing spell once in awhile.

It just _wouldn't_ happen.

"Yeah...hi." My face shrivelled in open annoyance. "What do you want?"

One of the major reasons I'd decided to occupy the library that morning was that I didn't want to hear the rumors already circulating about the kiss between Sirius and I, as the entire party had seen it, and I knew for a fact they were floating around.

"Almost had to beat up three blokes for the way they were chattin' about you and that ruddy git." My features darkened considerably but before I could snap my jaws at him and get to the strangling and murdering of my twin, Auggie continued, " _But_ it's your decision who you fancy. Just don't say I didn't warn you."

"Glad you finally pulled your head out of your arse," I grumbled. He may have apologized, well sort of, but I still didn't want to talk to him. I had important things to do, like work on my spell.

"Yeah, well...Marlene may have actually been the one to do that for me," he admitted, shoving a fried tomato in his big mouth. I looked up, a bit shocked, to be honest.

"What?"

"She pulled me aside after the party and told me I was out of line. She says Sirius is a good sort of bloke, he just doesn't always know how to show it."

I rolled my eyes. "She's probably shagged him like half the upper year girls." I wouldn't have been surprised. I'd always thought Marlene was a bit tarty and this would just confirm my suspicions. "I doubt we can trust her opinion."

"But you fancy him, don't you?" Auggie was confused, but that wasn't hard. He wore that same face in our shared Charms class most of the time.

"Of course not, you ponce. I didn't mean to snog him. We sort of...just fell together."

My dear brother heaved a relieved sigh as I looked on. "Well that's smashing. I guess I have nothing to worry about then."

I was about to offer a crushing blow of a statement, but I was met by another interruption, this time in the form of James Potter. Why was everyone suddenly showing up in the library this morning? Wasn't anyone eating in the Great Hall today? Or was the library suddenly the new 'place to be' and I just hadn't been informed?

James sat down across from us, a smug expression on his face. I glared daggers, daring him to say something. But I should know better than to dare James to do _anything_ , even silently.

"So, how was the party last night?" he inquired cheekily.

I scowled. "You were there, James. You should know. Now sod off. I'm busy."

He ignored the end of my statements. "You're right, Cori! I was there, now that I think about it. I thought I dreamed the whole thing. Well, it certainly must have been a dream that I saw you and Sirius snogging on the dance floor, yeah? That'd be crazy."

"You bloody well know it happened, you git."

"Indeed it did. How was it?" He was smirking. Merlin, did I want to punch that smirk off his face. He could use a good kick in the arse.

"Why? Interested in your best mate, Potter?" Thankfully, Auggie chimed in before I did something rash. He was a nuisance, but he generally came in handy when it counted.

James' smirk quickly morphed into a scowl, as if he hadn't realized my brother was here until just now. "I wasn't talking to you, McKinnon."

"We McKinnons are a package deal. You talk to one, you talk to all," Auggie taunted, and I kicked him under the table. That was a load of bollocks and he knew it. But he didn't react to my kick. It was a hard one, and I would've been impressed if I wasn't so annoyed.

"This is an A to B conversation, McKinnon. Why don't you C your way out of it, yeah?" It was way too early in the morning for this kind of snark. I dropped my head onto my propped-up hand, watching the pissing match and eating. I had suddenly lost my fire, probably because I was so worn out from yesterday's events.

"Why don't you shove it, Potter? You and your cad of a best mate?"

"Like you're one to talk, McKinnon. You've slept your way through the most of the third to fifth years."

My cries of "Oi! I don't want to hear this!" went unnoticed.

"The rumors of my exploits are greatly exaggerated, unlike some people's."

"You don't know anything about Sirius."

"I know that he needs to keep his manky mitts off my sister or he and I will be having words."

James guffawed. "Sirius could take you in a heartbeat, you ponce."

Auggie shoved himself up from the table, anger flashing across his face. "Listen here, Potter, you say…"

It was probably time for me to step in. "You two need to calm down. I do _not_ want to deal with Madam Pince right now. I just wanted to get some reading done, for Helga's sake!"

"Whatever," Auggie huffed, gathering his things, "I'm meeting up with my mates before class anyway. See you later, Cori." He shot another dirty glare at James, not saying a word as he stormed out.

I sighed, dropping my hand and letting my head hit my book. It was pretty thick and made quite a decent cushion.

"So, you fancy my best mate, yeah?" I was hoping James had left. Guess Lady Luck just isn't on my side today.

"I was high when I flirted with him. And I was drunk when I kissed him. He's fit and all, but I don't fancy Sirius Black."

James was silent for a minute, considering this. I was hoping that'd be all, and he'd leave me to my research, but he had to open his gob again. "So, you think he's fit?"

And of course, that would be the only thing that James pulled from my entire three sentences. I let out a loud and annoyed groan, so loud that it drew the harsh stares of Madam Pince, which I generally ignored. Potter laughed but I was just glad that I didn't have that damned class with him anymore. The less time I spent around those cheeky Marauders, the better.

Sticking to my general group of friends and family had worked for the past years, and it would work just as well now. Why fix what's not broken? Eh? My frugal father would cheer if he could hear my thoughts, I just knew it.

"Anyway, I did come here with a purpose, not to worry. Sprout asked me to track you down and deliver your class timetables since you weren't in the Great Hall this morning."

I raised my brows suspiciously and closed all my books, getting ready to pack up my belongings. It was very obvious that I wouldn't be getting anymore work done on my spell.

"Out of everyone in the entire Great Hall, she picked _you_ to bring me my schedule?"

That didn't sound right at all. I was not buying James' crap. He grinned at me cheekily, standing and grabbing my bag for me like the 'true gentleman' he was. _Not._ Just by simply implying _that_ , I'd insulted every gentleman ever.

"Actually, she'd heard of your kiss with my mate and assumed that we too were friends by association. We are friends, aren't we Corinne? I'd like to think so."

Was James pulling my leg? Was my leg being literally torn off my body? What kind of sodding arse shit was this? _Even my Head of House was gossiping about me!_ It was in this instant that I'd suddenly began contemplating 'dropping out' of Hogwarts. That was a thing, yeah? Surely it had to be. If it wasn't, I would make it a thing.

If I'd known that kissing Sirius would lead to this big of a change in my life, I'd have probably went on a quest for a ruddy timeturner. And it'd been only been a few hours. Merlin, I could only imagine what kind of rumors were being spread as we spoke. Everyone probably thought I was such a tart.

"I barely know you! I just snogged your mate at my birthday party! Totally on accident! Why is this happening?!" I might have started shouting. Oops. James was shocked and Madam Pince was furious as she fast-walked over to us.

"Miss McKinnon, that is an unacceptable volume to use in a library! I must insist you leave immediately!" Her voice was so shrill, I thought my ears were going to bleed. But her interruption was also perfectly timed, because it gave me an excuse to leave.

"I'm off." That was the only acknowledgement I gave James as I headed out, giving my best apologetic smile to Madam Pince, who only frowned.

I had looked at my timetable when James had given it to me, and I knew that I had Transfiguration first. It was a good thing that I remembered, because it was only when I reached the class that I realized James still had my bag. I sighed for probably the millionth time today as I sat in the middle of the back row of the class. Professor McGonagall would be so disappointed. Just another thing to muck up my already _terrible_ day.

"Honey! I'm home!" Oh Merlin, no. Please tell me…

It was true. James Potter had my first class of the term with me. _Joy._

He plopped his overly-cheerful arse into the seat on my right, setting my bag on the table in front of me. I began to dig through it. I didn't have anything particularly scandalous in it except my grimoire, which I was afraid he'd looked through. I was very protective of my invented spells, and I was legitimately concerned that he might have mucked them up somehow

 _Or worse, copied them down for personal use_. I shivered in disgust at the thought.

"Don't worry, I didn't dig through your diary, Corinne." James rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, we Gryffindors have more common sense then _that_." the owner of the voice was the star of my nightmares and the special guest of my dreams. Sirius Black gracefully climbed on top of the table, placing his feet on the seat to my left.

"Alright students," the surprisingly soothing voice of Professor McGonagall drew my attention, the old witch standing at the front of the class, "Today we will be focusing on Untransfiguration."

With a flick of her wand, she had all of our knapsacks transformed into a pair of socks, each one differing in appearance depending on the bag. It really wouldn't have been such a big deal if it weren't for the fact that _my grimoire was in mine._ Many other students seemed to have personal belongings they would miss too, as my jaw wasn't the only one that dropped.

"Yes. Should you ever want to see your belongings again, class, you must Untransfigure your bag before the end of the period. The only people you may ask for help is your tablemates. Class starts now."

I turned my angry and shocked face to glare at Sirius, not even bothering to hide my pure and utter disdain. But of course, he just responded with a cheeky grin. Obviously he and Potter would be about as useful as Herbert Vane is attractive. So not at all.

" _Reparifarge_ ," I hissed the beginner Untransfiguration spell at my new pair of socks, holding my wand tight in my grip and focusing all my strength on performing the task at hand and not wringing the Marauders' neck. They say Remus is the only bearable one, but I'd yet to meet him. I did meet Peter though, not that I want to remember that disaster of a moment. The little vulgar weirdo was about as attractive as a rat.

The socks did show _some_ resemblance to my backpack as they slowly grew back the leather straps from my bag. Of course. Reparifarge was one of the few spells for this form of Transfiguration that we'd been taught up to this point, but it almost never fully undid it. Still, I'd hoped.

" _Rep_ " I paused gritting my teeth and waving my wand " _arif_ " I began waving even harder " _arge_."

The socks caught fire. I'm not even joking. Tears began welling up in my eyes at the prospect of losing my grimoire forever. But before said fate could unravel, Sirius pulled out his own wand, waving it carelessly and spraying out water that ultimately killed the fire before any real damage was done. So maybe he was a _little_ bit more useful than the whole 'ugly Herbert Vane' thing I'd thought before.

Of course, I still had socks with leather straps instead of my bag. Sadly, Transfiguration wasn't really one of my strong suits. _What am I going to do?_

"Cori, what's in there that's so ruddy important? We did peek inside, all that's in there is a couple quills and your diary. Not like ya' can't just write more of that." James all but proclaimed.

"He. _He_ peeked inside." Sirius tried to dismiss the claim, but I mostly ignored him. James absent-mindedly waved his wand at his own socks. I scoffed in shock as his own blooming bag appeared before him.

"How did you do that?" I hissed, prodding at the bag with my own wand. _What in Merlin's beard did he do?_

"Oi, stop that before you catch something else on fire." He swatted my wand away and I frowned. "Transfiguration is my best class. I even have a better grade than Lily."

_He's fibbing, right?_

"He's not. He really is that good," Sirius proclaimed proudly. Apparently, I'd spoken aloud. _Oops_.

If James was that ace at Transfiguration, and I wasn't…

"Help me," I begged, whispering so as to not reveal my faults to those around us.

The two boys, in unison, grinned widely. _Oh shite._

"Tell us what's in your diary, and we'll help." Those ruddy Marauders. I couldn't tell them that I fancied myself a spellmaker. They'd think I was off my rocker. Ames had the first time I told her. ( _Although she'd become more supportive as time went on, thankfully_.) For the love of Helga Hufflepuff, they'd probably think that _I'm_ the one fibbing if they heard that.

_But I need their help._

"Help me, and I'll tell you. Promise."

Those bleeding sods. Their grins grew, again in unison. ( _That's so creepy. Do they practice?_ ) James waved his wand again and my bag returned before my eyes.

My eyes bulged and I hastily dug out my grimoire. I flipped quickly through the pages, checking to make sure they were all intact. _They're all here. And there's no additional writing. Merlin, I'm relieved._ I hugged it to my chest as if protecting it from threats of the outside world. In a matter of minutes it had been lost, transfigured, and set on fire!

"So what's in there?"

_I really don't want to tell them. But I did promise._

"It's my grimoire. I write in it when I'm creating new spells." I blushed, refusing to look up at them. I'd only ever told Amelia about the grimoire before. I wasn't ready to let other people know, especially since I hadn't created any spells of real importance yet.

"That's wicked!"

I lifted my head sharply, staring at Sirius to see if he was serious. _(Merlin, that was a strange sentence._ ) He had a genuine smile on his face, and there were practically stars in his eyes. He was legitimately impressed!

"Um...thanks." Oh, my blush had definitely deepened. I wouldn't doubt it if he told me that I resembled a tomato in that instant. Having a cute boy describe something that _I_ do as wicked? Yeah my heart may have dropped dead from excitement. Of course about a millisecond after that feeling hit, the memory of Sirius Black's reputation returned.

All of a sudden it hit me like a slap to the face, a euphoric realization, an opening of my eyes. _What in ruddy hell was I doing_? Here was this nice, attractive, single pureblood wizard and I was keeping myself from what could be good for me just because of _gossip._ My mother did not raise me to believe so religiously in the trash spewed by us teenagers.

With that all in mind, I slapped a genuine smile on my face, allowing the butterfly's that Sirius gave me some 'flutter-time.' Merlin, I sounded cheezy.

"Really, I mean it," I turned to James, "Thanks, a lot. I owe you one."

"Two. You owe us two."

I whirled around in my seat in confusion, my mouth popping open. "What?" I crossed my arms.

Sirius, the cheeky, and suddenly-confident wizard nodded his head and patted mine from his perch on the table. "Well, if I hadn't put the fire out, there would be nothing for James to Untransfigure."

_Bollocks._

That made sense, so I conceded, nodding my head. "Alright, fair game, Sirius."

* * *

When I'd said that I would owe them, I didn't think they would cash in as soon as they did. I was sauntering down the hall during the nutrition period when it happened. Three boys, two of which were the ones that so constantly seemed to plague my day and one that could've only been Remus, came blasting down the hall, running at a breakneck speed.

And in their hands was a large and fluffy cat. Luckily, not my Kneazle. It was just a really large cat. A really large cat that I recognized...it was Mrs. Norris, Argus Filch's (the caretaker of Hogwarts) cat.

"They've taken me kitty!" came the broken shouts from the hall behind them.

And then they threw the cat into my arms. I would have screamed, and I honestly don't know what stopped me. I had to think on my feet.

"Yiddles!" I whisper-shouted, hoping to the high founders that he just happened to be at the castle today. I wasn't sure if this was true for other House Elves, or just Yiddles, but as long as he was within a 300 foot radius of me, I could summon him.

_SNAP!_

Argus' footsteps fell in just as the familiar, big-nosed, agender Russian house elf appeared. Relief flooded my system and I tossed them the cat, the only evidence being the fur that coated my mostly black robe. "Take her and don't return until I say, and that's an order," my voice became a low commanding hiss, and they got the hint, quickly fading and dematerializing out of the area.

"He's gonna see the ruddy fur! We're covered in it," Remus, the useful one, whispered.

And then it happened. For whatever the reason, we all decided that disrobing right there in the hallway was the quickest way for him to not see the fur of Mrs. Norris, the evidence. It was in the rush of the moment! And not at all how I wanted Sirius to see me in my knickers.

_Not that I'd ever thought of that before._

Argus turned the corner and met my eyes. I cringed, turning to look back at the boys, and then cringing again. It was a real cringe attack. I was severely traumatized. However _,_ Merlin wasn't _totally_ out to get me, as that day just so happened to be one of the rare ones in which I match.

Both my bra and my knickers were black, a somewhat inappropriate, but ultimately nice, late birthday present from Georgie, the queen of all things beauty. Note to self, thank her. Imagine if I'd been wearing my dragon-print briefs!

Now...back to the present. Which bloody nimrod thought stealing a large cat from a fast man was a good idea? It certainly wasn't Remus, and if it was Sirius, I wasn't going to be surprised, but I would be judgy. This was _not_ what I'd expected.

"Naked children in the corridor!" Argus screeched, much to my horror, "Naked children in the corridor!"

The boys looked at me, their eyes wide with fear. _Bollocks, do they want me to do everything?_ Apparently, I was going to have to make up a lie to get us all out of this.

"Um...it's performance art, Mr. Filch! It's a commentary on…" _Okay, so far so good. You got this, Cori._ "Societal constructs and the…arbitrariness of clothing!" _Merlin, that made no sense._

Amazingly, he took it. He even sort of smiled, in his creepy caretaker kind of way, I guess. Apparently I was a better fibber than I thought.

He shot a wary look at the boys before he returned to his sprint down the hallway, calling for his beloved pet. My sigh was heavy with relief as I finally breathed. _That was so close._

"What in Helga's name was that, you prats?" I whirled around, fixing my gaze on them with murder in my eyes. Remus looked sheepish, James was chuckling, and Sirius... _oh no Sirius is checking me out._ And now I blushing again. Joy. _They're going to think I'm diseased or something._

"How is it that we've never met before this year?" Sirius inquired in his husky voice, stepping towards me with a half-cocked smirk. James let out a low whistle and Remus shook his head, half amused and half concerned.

And when a tent started to rise the Sirius' boxer, I screamed. "Yiddles!" the second the elf popped in, I placed my hand on their shoulder, which I only ever did when I needed them to apparate me away.

My vision fuzzed out and my ears rang and when I came to, I was in the pantry of the kitchen near the Hufflepuff Common Room, still very barely covered, but at least not in front of three teenage boys.

" _Meow_."

I glanced down to see Mrs. Norris, still in Yiddles' very confused and suspicious grip.

"Don't ask," I grumbled.

Eventually I made it into the common room, clothed this time after convincing Yiddles to go get my robes from the hallway. Henry was sitting on the comfiest couch, scribbling away on a piece of parchment and tapping his foot. He had this thing where he apparently did his best work in the nosiest places. Apparently his room wasn't noisy enough, which I didn't get, because the boys in our year were exceptionally loud. But to each their own, I suppose.

I plopped down next to him and burrowed into the sofa, happy for a moment to relax. Henry looked at me in concern, placing his quill softly on his parchment. He bit his lip, as he tended to do when he was thinking. I waited for him to speak. He was the shyest of my friends, and he only really spoke when he felt it to be important.

"What's wrong? Is this about Transfiguration this morning? I can help you practice, if you like." Henry was ace at Transfiguration. And Charms and Potions and Ancient Runes. I was never quite sure why he wasn't sorted into Ravenclaw, but I was happy he was a 'Puff.

"Not exactly. But also yes."

Henry cocked his head in confusion, and I sighed. ( _Seriously, I need to stop sighing so much. But maybe my life needs to stop being so sigh-worthy._ ) How was I going to explain this?

"I kissed Sirius Black at the party last night." He said nothing, so I assumed that he'd already heard the rumors. "I think I like him. Maybe. I mean...I know he's a bit of an Auggie," ( _okay, so maybe my mates and I used Auggie's name as a term for a male slag…_ ), "But he's so pretty, y'know? And he's brilliant at snogging. And he just has that hair, and those abs, and those eyes…"

I stopped when I realized that maybe that was a bit too much information to share with Henry. He wasn't any of the girls, after all.

"So, what do you think?"

Henry blinked at me. I blinked back. We sort of just...blinked at each other for a few minutes. I twiddled my thumbs. He tapped his foot. He opened his mouth once, and I leaned forward expectantly. He closed his mouth, and I fell back against the couch. Eventually, though, he actually spoke.

"Date him, then."

"Really? That's all you have for me?"

Henry raised his eyebrows and frowned. "I'm not exactly Georgie. I don't know what you expected of me. But yes, that's what I think. If you like him, then why should anything get in the way?"

I thought about it for a few minutes as Henry scratched away at his parchment. _Date Sirius, even with his reputation? But what will people think of me? Will people think of me? Will everyone hate me for snatching him? Do I even care what people think?_

"That's...actually really good advice. Thanks, Henry."

He nodded, not looking up from his paper. I guess that was the end of 'Henry Time' then. I said goodbye and stood up. I should probably talk to the girls, just in case. Henry was smart enough, but he wasn't always completely ace with emotions. But I appreciated his advice nonetheless. I never would've been able to get something like that out of Lucas.

I headed towards the dorm, but a call from Henry made me turn around.

"Be careful, okay?" His voice was hesitant.

I smiled back. "Of course."

Sure, I was stressed, and sure my feet still kind of hurt from those heels of Satan, _and maybe_ the boys had seen me in my knickers….okay, so today sucked. But totally not the point. The point was….that at the end of the day, I would still be able to do magic, I would still be returning to the Hufflepuff common room, and I would _always_ have my girls. And if that was all I had...well, that wasn't too bad.

With that in mind, I released a breath of air, a weight coming off of my shoulders that I hadn't noticed had been building over the stress of returning to Hogwarts. In all honesty, all I _really_ needed to worry about was passing Transfiguration class.

"There you are!"

I glanced up at the sound of Amelia's voice. She stood in the hall, wearing her head-to-toe yellow Hufflepuff jammies, a bowl of butterbeer popcorn in hand.

"Come on, Iliana's playing her copy of The Wizard and The Hopping Pot in the girls dorm!"

Yeah, things weren't _too_ bad in my life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope I did a decent enough edit of this the first time because I am so not in the headspace to edit it right now. I hope you all enjoyed!


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